Former SF Giants slugger Darin Ruf continues struggling, "DFA Ruf" trends on Mets Twitter

Former SF Giants outfielder Darin Ruf has struggled mightily since he was traded to the Mets at the deadline.

Darin Ruf was arguably the best hitter on the SF Giants from 2020-2021. However, things are not going as well for the 35-year-old right-handed bat this season. Ruf got off to a slow start with the Giants before he was traded to the New York Mets at the deadline for a package of four players. Ruf's struggles have only gotten worse since the trade.

The Mets tried playing Ruf solely against left-handed pitching to let him take advantage of his platoon advantage, but he still has been unable to escape his current slump. Ruf has now appeared in 23 games with the Mets and has just seven hits in 51 at bats. While it remains a small sample, Ruf's .137/.179/.196 triple-slash has been so bad that manager Buck Showalter has relegated him to pinch-hitting duties.

Ruf's current contract guarantees him $3 million in 2023, but unless he can bounce back as the season comes to an end, it might be hard for the Mets to justify keeping him on the roster next season.

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Ruf is 1-for-33 over his last 38 plate appearances and does not have a hit in the month of September. His struggles reached a boiling point this weekend on Mets' Twitter as fans discussed potential roster moves. DFA Ruf was momentarily trending over the weekend as fans expressed their frustration with their deadline acquisition and called for him to be designated for assignment.

Fans, by the way, are far from the only critics of Ruf right now. The Athletic's MLB deputy managing editor Marc Carig tweeted on Monday, "The Mets traded four players for Darin Ruf, who has been terrible."

The Mets traded four players for Darin Ruf, who has been terrible.

— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) September 13, 2022

Making matters worse for Mets fans, each of the players they traded to the Giants has made solid debuts with their new organization.

Third baseman J.D. Davis has immediately slotted into the Giants lineup and has a .797 OPS with five home runs. Left-handed reliever Thomas Szapucki has been promising in three big-league outings and has a 1.08 ERA with a 44.1% strikeout rate at Triple-A. Right-handed pitcher Carson Seymour had a 13-strikeout outing and has a 3.86 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 35 innings pitched for the Giants High-A Eugene affiliate. Lefty Nick Zwack also has a 3.99 ERA with 11 strikeouts per nine innings in six starts with Eugene. The Giants got all that for Ruf.

SF Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has rightfully received a lot of criticism this season for the team's disappointing performance. However, less than six weeks after the trade deadline, it already looks like he pulled off a fantastic trade with the Mets, adding four potential contributors for Darin Ruf.